Originally released on
the PS3 in 2008, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention is a port of
the third entry in Nippon Ichi's venerable Disgaea series.
Boasting all the downloadable content of the original game, new
character abilities, and new features, it looks to fill the RPG void of
the young system. Sadly the new Vita-specific features are quite
inconsequential, and the original's lackluster battle sprites and
environments have not been updated. Thankfully some tweaks to the
gameplay keep the game's humorous story interesting, even for longtime
fans.

Disgaea 3 is a traditional
turn-based strategy RPG with the simple goal of taking out all the
enemies in each battle. Players deploy their characters from a base
spot, and combat moves between player turns and enemy turns. What makes
the Disgaea series, and Disgaea 3 in particular, different
from other games of this type is the way in which the various
environments affect the flow of battle. In the vast majority of battles
there are special portions of the 3D environments that provide certain
bonuses or penalties such as reversing damage or boosting enemies.
Interacting with these elements, and moving or destroying the blocks
that create the effects, is a huge part of the combat. Disgaea 3 uses these to create a
variety of interesting and challenging maps, surpassing the quantity in
previous entries in the series.

As for party members, there are a
number of story characters, and the player can also create his or her
own. Characters learn new abilities by purchasing skills with points
earned through battle in addition to learning new special skills as
they level. In the PS3 version only story characters and the game's
special monster classes gained class skills by leveling up, but now all
classes gain new skills this way. In addition, the Vita version now
features powered up versions of skills that activate when they are used
by characters with very low HP. Enemies can also use these, which puts
a nice twist on battles for Disgaea
veterans. Unique to Disgaea 3
is the ability to combo special attacks. It's a nice feature that makes
it easier to level characters, but unfortunately it is a bit
unbalanced. Certain attacks can't be used in combos, including magic,
which makes it very hard to level mages in comparison to other
character types.

Story scenes now have a lot more life to
them.

As previously stated,
the visuals are very lacking. The character sprites look like they'd
easily be at home on the PS2 Disgaea
games, and many of them are likely reused from that. Environments are
more expansive and detailed, but still look quite plain. This was the
biggest issue in the original version, and it remains here. The
graphics give the illusion of being improved, but this is simply a
matter of a smaller resolution. There is one improvement in this
department, thankfully. In the original's story scenes, character
portraits were static, occasionally switching to different positions.
These portraits are now fully animated, similar to Disgaea 4, and it adds a very nice
touch. It's a shame the same care couldn't have been applied to the
rest of the visuals.

Although the music's technical
quality is weak, it sounds merely forgettable at its worst. There are a
number of memorable tracks, particularly the upbeat vocal track that
plays while maneuvering around the base area. The voice acting is some
of the best in the series, perfectly fitting the humorous style of the
game. There is a small sampling of sound effects in battle, however
with characters and enemies throwing out battle cries with each attack,
the lack of variety is rarely noticeable.

Terrain is a constant worry in Disgaea 3.

The story in Disgaea 3 is the best in the
series. It follows Mao, the son of the demon overlord, as he
looks to defeat his father. The basis for this attempted patricide is
the accidental destruction of Mao's game system after it is stepped on
by his father. This sets the stage for an incredibly goofy and fun
adventure as Mao and frenemies adventure through the underworld's
version of school. Though it reuses a lot of themes the series is known
for such as the opposite evil nature of demons, it manages enough
originality so as not to feel like a retread from previous entries.
This version includes the additional epilogue story starring Mao's
friend/rival Raspberyl which was originally released as downloadable
content. The Vita version includes some additional story sequences
aside from the Raspberyl scenario, providing some new story content for
those who have already completed the original.

In the end, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention is
a fine port of the PlayStation 3 original. It tweaks the gameplay in
interesting ways, and improves the look and feel of story sequences.
It's not all great, as the gameplay graphics have not been improved
from the original, and the added Vita touch controls and GPS
functionality to get minor bonuses are largely pointless. With a
lengthy story, additional post game challenges, and the many optional
endeavors present in a Disgaea game,
it still makes for an exceptional package of content.